Why I'm Going

One afternoon last December I was listening to a National Public Radio (NPR) podcast hosted by Adam Davidson of NPR's "Planet Money". The podcast featured a school pincipal in Haiti who believed he could build a new school for $3,000 (see link below). Unfortunately $3,000 wasn't enough to get the foundation completed, but the message was so strong it inspired me to email Davidson to see how I might help.

Davidson contacted me soon after that to let me know about the conditions in Haiti, especially after last year's earthquake and hurricane. I admit, I was naive about building costs in Haiti as well as the other hurdles I would encounter but Davidson was kind enough to help me understand what I was up against and encouraged me to continue. The more I looked at it, the more I was convinced I could use my 30+ years of building experience and organizational skills to help build this school.

After doing more research it also became evident that I would need to start out as a volunteer with an organization that was already working in Haiti. That is when I came upon "All Hands Volunteers". Within a week, they emailed to say I was welcome to help with the 2011 program starting the end of January. So ready or not, here I go...

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Week One in Haiti

Tim called today to say he arrived in Haiti in good shape. He says the camp is much like the military - very efficient and a lot of hard work. The only difference is that you can leave if you want to.

He caught a stomach bug the first few days he was there, but is much better now.  He blames it on the Haitian beer! There are approx. 100 people in camp.  It is well-organized but if you get to the supper line late you might not have a clean plate or food.  One of the organizations plans to make homemade pizza for the camp tonight.  What a treat! 

Today is a rest day.  They are touring a new building constructed with a rammed-earth technique.  He hopes to be able to spend some time on a computer later today so he can update the blog.  His one regret so far is that he didn't take the laptop.   

All for now. Thanks for all your kind words and thoughts - it means a lot to us!
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